Maia
by TinyTurian
Summary: Backstory for a female Lavellan inquisitor. "A stern wind blew through the forest, releasing a cacophony of rustling leafs and shaking branches, but the elf in the treetops brushed her hair behind her pointed ears and listened, and through the sounds of the forest she could her the crunching pitter-patter of paws trampling brittle fallen leafs."


**A/N: A little origin fic I wrote for my inquisitor. I'm actually pretty happy with some parts of it, not all of it but whatever. I kinda wanna do an entire novelization of my playthrough with Maia, but I don't have the patience to do that.**

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><p>A stern wind blew through the forest, releasing a cacophony of rustling leafs and shaking branches, but the elf in the treetops brushed her hair behind her pointed ears and listened, and through the sounds of the forest she could her the crunching pitter-patter of paws trampling brittle fallen leafs.<p>

She leapt from her treetop to another, trusting that her companions could keep up as she followed the noise. She moved quickly, what little sound her feet made disguised by the wind. The leaves around her became a blur of red and yellow as she picked up the pace, moving faster with every step and jump. She kept an eye intently focused on the ground, scanning the woods for her prey.

Suddenly, the sound she followed disappeared. The eye she held on the ground twitched and began to fervently dart in all directions in search for the animal, and then finally she saw it, the streamlined, auburn shape of a fleeing fox. The ground the fox was now running over was covered by moss, which hid the animal's footsteps, but also slowed it down.

The elf was now running side by side with her prey, albeit a significant distance above it. She almost had a clear shot. From behind her an arrow shot by, missing the fox by a good meter. _Yovai, you idiot, _she thought, _shooting from that far away when you can barely hit a target that's still. _

Twisting her torso, she raised her bow, pointing a sharp, ironbark arrow downwards in a diagonal angle. She sacrificed the fraction of a second to look down the arrow at her game, making sure the two were aligned, and then she let go. The arrow flew through the air, stopping when it pierced the side of the fox's triangular head. The animal let out a sharp, twisted cry and fell to the ground, lifeless.

The elf's features exploded into a grin, and she couldn't suppress the desire to pump her fist in the air and let out a joyous little victory roar. She was still moving through the treetops however, and the instant she performed her celebration she felt something hard hit her stomach, taking the breath swiftly from her lunges. Her direction of movement abruptly altered, and she fell rapidly towards the ground. She reached out her hands, grasping at the twigs and leafs that zoomed past her for something to hold on to.

Finally, her fingers found a branch thick enough to grab on to, only to be violently torn from it by her rising velocity. Still, the contact was enough to break her fall, and shortly thereafter she hit the ground without taking too hard of a blow.

A little shaken, she rose to her feet, brushing the leaves and dirt off her clothes. Not far behind her lay the carcass of the fox, and not far behind that she could see her two fellow hunters climbing down from the trees, taking a somewhat safer route to the ground than she had. From their respective positions the three elves walked over to the corpse.

"Nice landing, Maia!" Yovai shouted, Mehvin snickering beside him. Maia just rolled her eyes dismissively. She knew she was ten times the hunters they were. No, scratch that, a hundred times.

Closing her eyes, Maia kneeled next to the corpse and mumbled a hasty prayer for the animal's soul. She then produced a small knife from her belt and proceeded to skin the animal, saving its fur and meat. When she finished she slid the knife back into its sheath and stood up with a smile on her face. They were done for the day.

"Okay boys, time to pack up!" she looked over at her companions only to find them sill standing with their eyes closed, deep in prayer.

_Even away from the elders they're still sucking up, _Maya thought, _unbelievable. _

They put their rewards in the sacks containing their earlier killings and headed in the direction of the camp. Maia walked ahead of the two boys who conversed casually behind her. They reached camp less than an hour later.

At the camp, Maia parted ways with Yovai and Mehvin who went to deliver the fruits of their hunt to those in charge of preparing tonight's meal. Until then, Maia was free from duties, and so she strolled through the camp for a while in search of something to do. Everyone around her was busy. She saw the blacksmith's apprentice struggling to bend the ironbark for her bow, she saw men and women churning elfroot and making potions and she saw the young children of the clan sitting in a half-circle around the Keeper who was teaching them of Andruil and Vir Tanadhal. It was all so mundane.

She went to her family's tent. There she found her mother sitting on a pillow, eyes closed, praying. _Everyone's always praying, _Maia thought. She saw the value in the teachings of the creators and had no qualms with revering them. But unlike the rest of her clan seemed to, she had no intent to spend all of her life worshipping. To her that just seemed a waste of time.

She plopped down in a corner of the tent, rested her elbows on her knees and watched in boredom. A couple of minutes later her mother opened her eyes and looked straight at her.

"Oh, Maia, you're back." She said.

Maia nodded. "Yes, mother. Hi."

Her mother stood up and began to put her faded blond hair up into a bun. "You don't have anything that needs doing, do you?"

Maia shook her head.

"Then would you like to help me tend to the halla?" she asked. Taking care of the clan's steeds was her mother's primary duty.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Maia shook her head again. "Sorry mom, I don't feel like it today."

This was how things had almost always been for Maia. Ever since she was little she hadn't possessed the discipline that the Dalish expected from their kin. She had rarely been able to focus during the hour long lectures on history and spirituality from her elders. It wasn't that she was not interested in such things, but when you constantly live in the forest, surrounded by life and nature, it was hard to keep your mind from wandering. At least, that was the case for Maia. She was a little too adventurous, but not composed enough for her elders.

Her mother left to tend to the halla. Once she was gone Maia gave voice to her boredom with a drawn-out groan. This was how her afternoons usually went. Since it was hard to get her to do anything she didn't want to, she had been put in charge of hunting a couple of years ago, the one thing she excelled at. It was somewhat unfair, but since Maia could bring back what to most was a day's worth of hunting in a matter of hours, the rest of the clan had come to accept it. However, crossed with her distaste for labour, Maia's efficiency created a lot of lapses in her day.

Maia shut her eyes, and when they opened again her gaze fell onto two objects in the opposite corner of the tent, a sword and shield. For a while now, they had been her means to ward of boredom in the camp. She grabbed the weapons and went her usual place.

Her sword cut through the air, sending molecules flying in all directions. With a quick spin she jumped to the left, dodging an imaginary attack. She then dove in from the side, hiding behind her shield as she crashed into her non-existent opponent. He fell to the ground and was soon pierced by the tip of Maia's blade, which dug deep into the grass-covered earth.

The clan had no real warriors. The hunters had these swords in case it would be necessary, but they had hardly ever used them. The elves preferred to keep to their bows and arrows. But despite Maia's skill with the bow she had discovered that she quite liked the feel of a sword in her hand. Unbeknownst to her, through her hours of improvisational practice, she had actually become very skilled with a blade.

She went on practicing like this for over an hour before she collapsed onto her back, exhausted. She laid in the grass, peering up at the bright blue sky between the crowns of the trees, her body warm and sweaty and her mind too tired to think. Slowly, her eyelids began to close, and before long she was asleep.

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><p>When Maia pried her eyes open the sky was only a little darker than when she'd last seen it. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, her elbow hitting an apple that had fallen next to her on the ground. As she was about to sit up she heard voices, hushed, speaking not far from where she was lying. Still half asleep, she stayed on the ground and listened.<p>

"Are you really going to do that, Keeper? Sending just one person could be dangerous." Said a female voice. Maia recognised it. It was Valerna, the Keeper's apprentice.

"It's going to be dangerous no matter how many we send. What's important is that the one we send is not discovered. Whatever decision is or is not made, the consequences will affect everyone greatly. That includes us." Said Keeper Istimaethoriel's voice.

"But where will this meeting take place?" asked Valerna.

"Far south from here. Lavellan will only be able to follow our agent some way before the shem settlements become too many for us to go unnoticed."

By now Maia was wide awake. She rarely paid any attention to the affairs of the Keeper so she wasn't sure what she and her first were talking about, but she understood enough for her attention to be caught. Someone would leave the clan for some time, so it was obvious to Maia that this was something important.

Laverna and Istimaethoriel wrapped up their discussion quickly and without divulging much. Maia stayed in her reclined position while they walked back to the camp, not moving an inch until their footsteps were completely out of earshot. When the grove was once again silent Maia shot up and hurried back to camp, her eyes set on the Keeper's tent.

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><p>"Keeper Istimaethoriel!"<p>

Maia practically flew into the tent, almost dragging the structure down with her as she threw aside the cloth covering the entryway. Istimaethoriel, who had just gotten back herself, spun around to see who it was, obviously caught off guard.

"Oh, Maia, it's you. What is it?" she said, straightening herself.

Maia opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped herself. She had to think. What _was _she doing here exactly? As soon as she'd been left alone in the grove she'd sprinted here without a second thought. Though she supposed she knew what she wanted. She wanted to be the one sent on this mission. Maybe it was a stupid choice to make so quickly and obliviously, but Maia had already made up her mind.

"I want to be the one you send south, Keeper Istimaethoriel!" she blurted out, the words gushing out of her mouth like a waterfall.

The Keeper blinked, clearly surprised. Then she returned to her usual, composed state.

"I see. How did you hear about that, I wonder?" She said calmly and looked at Maia who tried not to look as guilty as she really was.

"Never mind." She continued. "How much do you know, hunter?"

"Um… only that, I'm afraid."

"So then you know nothing of the conclave or the war between the Templars and the mages?" Istimaethoriel asked, slowly turning and walking to the other end of the textile chamber.

Like most dalish clans, the Lavellan elves had little interest in the affairs of Thedas; Istimaethoriel was a rare exception. But Maia had always been intrigued by talk of the outside world, and so she listened whenever she heard elders talk of the Circle of Magi or the Grey Wardens, or other things unknown to her. She'd picked up a thing or two about this war, but what the conclave was she had no idea.

"Only a little." She said sheepishly.

The Keeper sat down, gracefully crossing her bony old legs over a silk pillow. "Ah. Well, truthfully speaking, da'len, I don't know if you're suited for this task. It requires subtlety and caution. I cannot say those are traits I associate without you."

Maia wasn't surprised by Istimaethoriel's reluctance. Carefulness was true to her nature, and in some ways what she said was true. That's why Maia didn't lose her temper, which she admittedly was somewhat prone to. Still, she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"But who else would willingly do this, Keeper? You have a volunteer, which is more than you can expect from anyone else in this clan. And you said it yourself; it's going to be dangerous. Nobody here handles danger better than me. You know that."

"That is true." The Keeper conceded. "You are our best hunter, Maia. We need you here."

"Yovai and Mehvin can handle themselves." Maia lied, trying her hardest to keep a straight face.

Istimaethoriel sighed. "I must think about it, Maia. Please, do not tell anyone else of this, one too many da'len already knows more than she should."

Maia smirked.

"Now could you please leave me? I would like to pray."

Maia smiled and nodded. "Sure, Keeper Istimaethoriel."

Maia emerged from the tent into the cool afternoon air buzzing with excitement. The Keeper had said neither yes nor no, but Maia was feeling optimistic. She walked briskly through the camp. Suddenly her clan, still churning their herbs and roots, didn't seem so dull.

She had never dreamed of venturing away from the clan, she had never dared to. Even though she wasn't much like them she still felt loyalty to her elven brothers and sisters. She couldn't just up and leave. But this, this was her chance. Even if all she saw on her journey was a few villages and this "conclave," it would still be more than most dalish saw of Thedas in their lives.

She couldn't wait for tonight's gathering.

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><p>The Lavellan clan sat in a circle around the campfire. They had just eaten the ram meat Maia had brought back this morning. The fox meat couldn't be eaten today. It had to dry over night before it would be edible.<p>

It was a night like any other, but to Maia it was more than special. The ashes from the fire danced with the wind and gleamed like fireflies in the night. An ordinary night Maia wouldn't have noticed them, but tonight they were beautiful.

She sat on a treestub with her legs spread, chewing her meat absentmindedly. Her eyes were fixated on Istimaethoriel sitting right across from her on the opposite side of the fire. The Keeper was behaving perfectly normal, conversing quietly with the people around her, her features calm, giving nothing away.

Istimaethoriel was smart. She was one of the few elders that Maia honestly respected and she was fairly certain that the Keeper would make the right decision. Still, she couldn't help feeling nervous. She barely knew what she was getting herself into, but as she sat by the fire, waiting for the Keeper to do _something_, she felt like her life was riding on it. Whatever this mission was, it was her chance to do something that could matter. As she dreamed of the things she might encounter on her travels away from the clan, slowly but surely, Maia's mind began to drift off.

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><p>"…Maia…"<p>

Maia's eyes flickered open. Had she fallen asleep? Again?

She looked up to see every pair of eyes in the clan staring at her. She definitely had.

"Maia? Did you hear what I said, da'len?" said the Keeper, who was now standing in the centre of the circle, next to the fire.

Everyone had their eyes on her, their looks conveying mixtures of surprise, relief and sympathy. Nobody said a word, and all that could be heard in the night was the soft crackle of the fire. No, Maia hadn't heard what the Keeper had said, but she could guess.

"Yes, Keeper Istimaethoriel." She said. "I did."

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><p>The knife felt rough against her hair. Her mother's hand grabbed a handful of long, blonde hair and with a firm movement of the knife cut it off. The severed strands fell to the ground and laid themselves in the growing pile of hair at her mother's feet. She continued cutting.<p>

In order to "blend in" at the conclave, as the Keeper had put it, Maia's elven features had to be hidden. To do so, she'd have to be in full body armour which was being readied by the clan's blacksmith, but her hair was too long to hide within her helmet, and so it had to go. She didn't mind. Once her mother was done and handed her a small mirror, Maia actually found that short messy hair looked quite good on her.

"Please, be careful out there, alright?" her mother said when Maia stood up. She'd still be traveling with the clan in the direction of the conclave for a few days more before leaving, but some members of the clan, her mother especially, were already expressing all their worries and fears to her. On the contrary, some members, like Yovai and Mehvin, seemed quite pleased to see her go, even if they weren't saying it outright.

"I'll be fine, mom." Maia said, picking up her sword and leaving the tent. Since it had been announced that she'd be the one to go to the conclave, Maia had been practicing her swordplay even more than usual. She had no reason to believe she'd have use of her blade, most likely she'd only need her bow to hunt for food on her way south, but she wanted to be ready for anything.

She went to her usual place and had been practicing for at least half an hour when she heard Valerna calling her name from the camp. That probably meant Istimaethoriel wanted to see her. The Keeper had been prodding her with information for the last few days, wanting to be absolutely sure that she fully understood her mission and the situation. She was just supposed to keep her head down, observe, listen, and then report everything back to the clan when she returned. Nothing more.

Maia let her sword drop to her side and walked back to the camp.

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><p>It was time.<p>

It was early, early in the morning and the sky was still dark. Maia crawled out of her tent, careful not to wake her sleeping mother. Istimaethoriel had asked her to leave at this hour, before anyone was awake. It would be best like this, she'd said, Maia's departure had already caused enough commotion within the clan. They didn't need a big dramatic goodbye as well.

Maia tiptoed through the tents and aravels, as quiet as she could be in her armour. A couple of halla raised their heads and looked keenly at her as she passed them by. Maia put a finger to her lips and motioned for them to be silent.

When she reached the edge of the camp she turned around and gave it one last look. It was hard to make out any shapes and structures in the dark, but it was still undoubtedly the camp of the Lavellan clan. Maia took it in, feeling the weight of her armour, her sword, shield and bow and the bag hanging over her shoulders. She felt excited, but also scared. She didn't see Istimaethoriel standing outside her tent, watching her.

Maia turned around and disappeared into the forest.


End file.
